


Rebirth

by velaeria



Category: Persona 3
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-02
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-03-10 04:22:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3276560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velaeria/pseuds/velaeria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been over a year since she's been gone. Even a new town and a new job isn't enough to help him forget. While running an errand for work, Shinjiro sees the one person who he can't forget. But what dangers arise with the seal now broken? - A journey of love, loss, and everything else that comes with a sudden rebirth. ShinjiroxMinako.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my first fanfic in a long, long time. Replaying P3P got my mind a-spinnin', and I thought what better to do than to put it to words? I will be switching perspectives between Shinji and Minako throughout the chapters.
> 
> Rating will be for planned future goodness.

His day had hardly begin and he was already feeling a headache coming on. He didn't mind coming into the restaurant early, that's something that he does without a phone call. What he did mind was the fact his ritual of having a cup of coffee before actually working was being interrupted to go run an errand that the prep chef would normally be doing right about now.

"Come on Aragaki, it's just a quick run to the cafe. You only need to do this while Hana is on leave. Then you can get back to your daily morning sulking routine, I promise." His boss shot him a smile across the island's counter.

"Tch, whatever." Shinji made his way around the island, grabbing a set of keys that were lying on top. He couldn't be that mad at his boss. Yasuhide had treated him well ever since he stumbled in here, looking to escape from everything that happened in Tatsumi Port Island. He even helped him find an apartment just a few blocks away from the restaurant and offered him work without even asking him for his credentials.

As he opens the door that leads out to the back of the restaurant, he stops to check his phone. 6:21am, April 7th, 2011. A little over a year since he left Port Island, a little over a year since she left. Even now, with time passed and distance achieved, he's still haunted by her. There's nights where he wakes up and swears she was just in the room. Even the room smells like the lavender shampoo she would use. Those are the good nights, the ones that don't come around too often. Most of the time he dreams of that day, on the rooftop of the school. He can remember every detail, from the way her lips curved when she smiled, the way her hair moved in the breeze, to the way she went still in his arms. It was on those nights he stared at the ceiling, wishing there was a way to free her, to bring her back home. Wishing he had more time with her. Really, just wishing for her.

He sighs, opening the door to the small pick up truck and jumps in the driver's seat. It's not a long walk to get to Cafe Noir but the truck made it easier to haul the bags of coffee beans that was needed for the restaurant. They would just get bags delivered with the rest of the food they ordered, but supposedly the cafe owner is Yasuhide's sister's husband's cousin, or something like that. Whatever the relationship was, they get a discount and better quality beans so it's worth the drive.

He puts the truck into drive and heads down the cramped alleyway leading out to the main road. From here, you can see some of the tourist attractions that bring people flocking here, even foreigners from overseas. He enjoyed seeing the temples when he first came here, along with the gardens. He spent a lot of time visiting those places. It was peaceful, and reminded Shinji of her every time.

He shook his head, mumbling to himself as he pulled into another small alleyway. "Got to stop thinking about her. Nothing good to come from dwelling...". He drives a little bit past the doorway he's looking for before parking the truck. He makes his way up to the door with the small black awning and rings the bell, hoping that whoever answers isn't too spooked to see someone other than the woman who's normally here to pick up the coffee, especially if that someone is looking as grouchy as Shinjiro Aragaki.

After a few moments, the door opens and he's greeted by an older woman with a full head of grey hair. "Oh you must be Shinjiro. Yasu called just a few moments ago to let us know you'll be picking up the coffee from now on while Hana is gone. Is everything ok with her? She seemed fine last week. Is it that fiancee of her's? He's no good, I tell you! I told her months ago to get rid of him, that she can find better. She's such a sweet young woman. She doesn't need someone like him dragging her down. Don't you agree?"

Shinji stands almost dumbfounded by this lady's ability to talk what could easily be a mile a minute. _She must've had extra expresso in her coffee this morning_ , he thought to himself. After taking a moment to rein in thoughts, he simply replies yes and squeezes past the woman to let himself inside.

The kitchen is similar to the one he's used to back at the restaurant, albeit smaller in size. The smells are a bit different too. Instead of smelling like various meats, vegetables, and what have you, this kitchen smells like coffee, pastries, and a bit of mochi. As he gazes around, he vaguely hears the lady telling him to wait out in the dining area while she finds the bags that were ordered. He makes his way out front, letting the smell of brewing coffee and the sounds of hushed chatting guide him.

The dining area is also smaller than what he's used to, but it does have a more intimate setting. Tables that seat two make up most of the seating area, with a raised bar facing out towards the windows, allowing patrons to gaze at those making their way through the city to wherever their destination is. There's soft music playing, almost hidden behind the sounds of coffee machines brewing all sorts of beverages made to the request of whoever orders them. The patrons are all absorbed in their own lives, whether it's reading the paper or browsing their laptops. As he turns from the kitchen to see who is taking the client's orders, he stops dead in his tracks.

There's no way that could be her. But he knows it is. That auburn hair, pulled back into that same high ponytail. Those bright red eyes that could read him like an open book. She looks almost identical to how she did that fateful day over a year ago, even the pins in her hair are in place in the exact same way. But something was a bit different. She seemed a bit paler than he remembered, her eyes not as bright. His feet were carrying him to counter without him even realizing that he was pushing people out of his way. In just a few short steps, he found himself staring at this girl face to face. Face to face with the one person that haunts his dreams. The one person he ever loved. Minako Arisato.

"Minako...". He found himself unable to say anything else. There's so much he wants to say, so much he wants to ask. But he's in awe and can hardly keep himself from jumping across the counter and embracing her in the middle of cafe. She's staring at him inquisitively, her eyes never on one spot for too long. He waits, waits for her to speak before taking any action himself. Any word would be wonderful, anything that would confirm that she really is free and no longer needed to seal Nyx. She stares at him a few more moments, before tilting her head and saying:

"Uhm, do I know you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Any feedback is appreciated. Apologies for any typos/grammatical errors, I'm running without a beta.


	2. Chapter 2

It's been a little over a month since she woke up at the train station. A month and two days, to be precise. The first thing she can remember is sitting on a bench right outside the station gate. How she got there, what she's doing here, and more importantly who she is — she couldn't remember a thing. The loss of memories didn't cause her to worry though. For some reason she felt content, at ease. The same feeling you get after coming home after a long time away. It was like a burden had been lifted from her, so instead of moving to explore wherever she is, she remained seated and watched what was going on around her. People in suits commuting to work, a young couple sharing a tear-filled goodbye, a young girl giving what she assumed to be her father a long eared rabbit toy and waving goodbye. She was so absorbed in the small events happening in front of her that she didn't even notice a woman taking the seat next to her on the bench.

"Aren't you cold, sweetie? It's still a bit too cold to be out and about without a jacket on."

She turned to face the woman talking to her. She must have been in her early sixties, yet her smile seemed to show that she had a much younger soul. She looked down and realized why this lady would comment on her lack of a jacket. She had on was a peach-coloured short sleeve blouse, a white skirt with a pair of white shoes — an outfit perfect for the warm summers months. For some reason, the outfit seemed familiar. Maybe this was her go-to outfit? Regardless, she did have to agree with the lady that it was the wrong season for what she had on.

As she opened her mouth to respond, no words would come out. It seems like she's forgotten even how to use what little thoughts she had. She resorted to nodding yes to the lady to her left. She watched as the older woman studied her, even putting her fingers to her chin like she was a display at an art gallery.

After a few moments of this, the woman replied "My name's Kiyomi. What's your name?"

This time, instead of just not being able to say the words, she couldn't even come up with a response. She looked down at her hands folded in her lap then back up at Kiyomi and simply shook her head no. This didn't seem to surprise her companion.

"Do you know where you are? Do you have any ID cards on you?"

She had no pockets on her outfit, no purse or backpack either. Again, she shook her head no. The woman gave her a sad smile, then stood up, extending her hand with a smile on her face.

"Come on sweetie, let's go to the police box over there. Surely he'll be able to help you?"

She followed Kiyomi to the police box and filed a report. She wrote out what little she remembered and when the officer checked the missing persons reports, no one matching her description was found. After exhausting his resources, the officer asked for her contact information and where she'll be staying if any information about her comes up.

Before she could even think of how to reply, Kiyomi replied for her. "She'll be staying with me. Here's my contact information."

She couldn't believe that a stranger would be so willing to help her. It was more than she could ask for. The glow of content was starting to wear off now that she realized she was alone in some strange city without her memories. Top that off with her inability to talk, she was not in a great position. As Kiyomi turned around, she did the only thing she could think of to show how happy she was for the assistance — give the largest smile her mouth could manage.

They left the police box shortly after. She followed Kiyomi to the bus station and boarded a bus that was headed for the center of the city. During the journey, she sat and listened while her companion talked and talked and talked. She found out that Kiyomi owns a small cafe which happens to be where they are currently headed to. That she lives alone with her cat Misha, and that she reminds her of her sister that died back when they were in college. After every piece of information she would share, Kiyomi would assure her that everything will be ok and she'll make sure she get back to wherever she needed to be.

"Well, since you don't remember your name, let me at least call you something so I'm not referring to you like you aren't really here! How about…Haru? Since it's almost spring?"

Kiyomi tilted her head, smiling right at her. She couldn't disagree with the woman going out of her way to help her, so she smiled back and nodded.

"Perfect! Well Haru, our stop is the next one. Cafe Noir is right around the corner from the bus stop, I have to take care of a few things there but once I'm done we can get you some essentials and I'll show you your room. Now, now I see that worry on your face. You don't need to worry about rent or anything like that. You just focus on getting better and finding out who you are!" At this point the bus was pulling up to their stop, so she followed Kiyomi off the bus and to the cafe.

Cafe Noir was at the corner of a stretch of small shops and restaurants. It's black and white awning gave it a bit of a Western look compared to the other shops on the block. As she followed Kiyomi inside, the first thing she noticed was the smell of fresh brewed coffee. It reminded her of…something. It made her think of tea and a man's laughter. It's the first time she got close to remembering something, but as she would find out, these "memories" would always be an arm's length away, never staying put long enough for her to try and connect the dots.

Kiyomi directed her to a table by the entrance to the kitchen and told her to make herself at home. She took the chair facing out towards the rest of the cafe so she could watch the people inside. It was already mid-afternoon at this point and not too many people were here. There was an elderly man with a book sitting at a table in opposite corner. If she had to bet, she would say he's been in here for quite some time. There was a group of high school students that had pushed a few tables together and were talking amongst themselves. Given that there was an equal amount of males to females, Haru guessed it was a group date. A few other people had ordered drinks to go and then left, and her gaze followed them out there door.

She noticed a young girl with an apron on heading in her direction with a cup and a plate in her hands. Kiyomi must have ordered her something. The girl approached her table, setting down a cup of tea along with some mochi. She had long dark hair and eyes and couldn't seem to stop from looking down at her feet.

"Uh, Kiyomi told us about you. I'm Tomoe. She said you looked like a tea person, so I brought you some. Oh and some mochi. We make it here in house, it's really good." Tomoe was running her hands against her apron, it was obvious that she was extremely shy. "Uhm..if you need anything senpai, please let me know."

She nodded and dashed back behind the counter and started working on another drink. Haru smiled and took a sip of the tea. It brought the same thoughts back that she had when she first walked in. _If only I could remember…_ she thought. If she could remember that time, maybe she could find the man she was with and figure out what exactly happened to her.

She finished her tea and mochi and continued watching the patrons of the cafe. It wasn't long after she finished eating that Kiyomi walked out of the kitchen.

"Well Haru, I'm all finished here for the day. Let me show you your room, then we'll head to Junes to get some things for you. Come now, follow me. Tomoe will bus the table."

She followed Kiyomi back into the kitchen area. It was smaller back here, obviously most of the space was used up front for the seating and coffee area. The kitchen and prep area was to her right, and a very tiny office with a small desks and stacks of boxes was to her left. Kiyomi was holding open a door leading outside, so she headed out into the alleyway behind the cafe. There was another black awning here, this one was much smaller than the one out front. It was just large enough to cover the entryway. She continued following Kiyomi around the side of the building where she noticed a set of stairs leading to a second level. She noticed Kiyomi had already unlocked the door at the top of the stairs and was beckoning her to come in.

She walked into what looks to be a small studio apartment. To her right was a small L-shaped kitchen with a sink and a mini fridge. As she gazed around the room, there was a table and two chairs right by the kitchen that were the same as what's in the cafe. To her left was a small sofa and work table. By the windows there was an area for a futon, a closet, and a walled-off area that leads to what she presumed to be a bathroom.

"I had this setup as an apartment when I first bought this space 20 years ago. I spent many nights here when we were first getting started. I've kept up with it just in case someone from the cafe needs to use it. I'm glad I have! Here." Kiyomi fumbles with a key on her key rings, and hands it out to her. "This is my spare key for this place. You're welcome to stay as long as you need. I'll come and check on you. If you'd like, when you're feeling ready that is, you can come work at the cafe. We're short staffed right now as one of the girls just left to attend a university overseas. But no rush at all!" She shoots Haru that same grin she gave her earlier. And again, all she can do is smile back.

"Now come on, let's head over to Junes and get this place stocked up a bit! And you are getting a jacket, young lady!"


	3. Chapter 3

Kiyomi was true to her word. She had bought food, toiletries, and even clothes for her. She also got her a cell phone as well, just in case she needed help with anything. After a week's time, her voice came back to her. She sounded hoarse the first few days, but that eventually went away. She started working at the cafe shortly after. She hated feeling like she was mooching off of Kiyomi, even though she wasn't any closer to finding out who she really is. Each week on pay day, she would refuse to accept anything from Kiyomi. But every night she'd come back upstairs and see money sitting on the table. And every time she would send her a text saying 'Thank you' and get a emoticon smile back.

Her alarm woke her out of her slumber. She groggily rubs her eyes, grabbing her phone to shut off the alarm. 5:00am, April 7th 2011. She had enough time to shower and get downstairs to grab a bite to eat before helping to open the cafe for the day. By the time she's downstairs, Kiyomi and the pastry chef, Shigeru, are already getting things together.

"Did you sleep well, Haru?" Kiyomi asks over her shoulder as she puts the fresh baked goods in the display case by the counter at the front of the store.

"Yes I did, thanks. How about you? I hope those new neighbors of yours didn't keep you awake all night again." She ties an apron around her and walks over to help her boss and friend get the display case setup just right.

"Oh they were better tonight! I hope they got that hint that redecorating at 10 o'clock at night is just not normal!" They fill the time with some small chit chat, moving quickly from the kitchen back to the front. "Do you think you could finish setting up before and open the door at 6? I've got a few things to get lined up?" Kiyomi brushes her hands off on her apron, her grey hair already falling out of the standard bun hairstyle she wears.

"Of course, I've got it." She continues to get everything ready for the next few minutes, then unlocks the door promptly at 6:00. A few regular customers come in and get their coffee or tea before quickly heading out to the bus station. Even though she's only been working here for a couple weeks, she has their orders memorized.

"Here's your coffee to go Mazaki-sama, have a wonderful day!" She hands the coffee to one of her regular customers and hears the doorbell ring for the back door. It must that woman from the restaurant a few blocks away, she thinks to herself. Kiyomi once explained why we order coffee for the restaurant's owner and give it to them at a discount, but she's never been able to actually remember what the exact relationship is between the owners. Distant cousin's once removed, maybe?

She's the only person out front, so she ignores the bell knowing that Kiyomi or Shigeru will get the door. As she hands the last waiting customer their coffee, she notices a young man standing near the entryway of the kitchen area. He's tall, if she was to guess he'd have to be close to 6 feet tall. He had on a red coat, black shirt, and black pants. And he was making a beeline straight for her.

He's standing in front of her in what seems to be a blink of an eye. Up close she can tell he looks like a rough and tumble kind of guy. His brown hair is a bit past his shoulder and pretty unkempt. His steel grey eyes are staring at her so intensely that it's almost intimidating. But there's something about him that she just can't pinpoint, something that causes her blood to pump faster.

"Minako…" is all he says.

And as soon as he says it, her heart is tightening in her chest. She knows him, she has to. Nothing has caused her to feel like this, nothing that makes her head scream " _Remember, remember!_ " She searches his face — looking for some clue, some trigger that will help her remember. She realizes that they've been standing there staring at each other for a few moments, she has to say something before this gets even more awkward.

"Uhm, do I know you?"

It's the only thing she can manage to say. It doesn't even come out in a polite way, even to her it sounds condescending. The man instantly looks wounded and she knows she messed up. Before she can even apologize, she hears Kiyomi call out from the kitchen.

"Shinji, everything is loaded in the truck. Tell Yasu I'll get the check from him later!"

They both turn towards to the door and he's walking away without saying another word to her. Her brain is yelling at her to turn around and follow him but it's like she's glued to the floor. She watches him turn back and look at her before quickly entering the kitchen. Her blood is pumping so fast she can hear it in her ears. She has to talk to him again. He knows her, she's just sure of it.

She's interrupted from her thoughts by a customer walking up and rambling off his order before he's all the way to the counter. She goes through the motions until the morning rush is over with, hardly paying attention to what's going on around her. As soon as mid morning comes around, she calls out to Kiyomi who quickly comes out front.

"Do you need something, Haru?"

Haru fidgets with a pen on the counter, trying to gather her thoughts before asking for the rest of the day off.

"That man from the restaurant that was in here earlier, I think you called him Shinji. I think he knows me. Actually, I'm pretty sure he does. C-Can I have the rest of the day off? I need to talk to him."

"Oh?! You think so? Yes of course! Go, go right now! And let me know how it goes. Good luck, my dear!" Kiyomi walks over to get her a hug before pushing her towards the door.

"Thank you so much Kiyomi-sama! I'll be back later!" She's practically half way down the block before finishing the sentence. After covering a few blocks she realizes there's no point in running there. She doesn't even know what to ask the man. That name he said, Minako, was that really her name? She was rounding the corner to where the restaurant was when she started to feel lightheaded. She leans against the side of the building, letting herself drift into her thoughts.

Another one of those "memories" was coming to her. But unlike most of the ones she had before, this one had more details. She remembers being on the roof of a school. It was a bright and sunny day, just like this one. She can almost feel the strong arms that were around her that day. She looks up to see the person's face, but it's fuzzy. Why does her heart feel like it's going to break when the imagery is so perfect? As always, she's missing key pieces of the memory.

After the dizziness passes, she straightens the skirt of her dress and heads for the restaurant. Unlike the cafe she works at, there's room enough to seat double or maybe even triple the amount of customers. She sees waiters and waitresses bringing various types of udon and soba out to the customers, among other things. She walks up to the man at the front that was seating customers when she came in.

"Hi. Uhm, is Shinji working right now?"

She says it so quietly she's almost expecting the man to have her repeat herself. Instead, the man stares at her for moment. He's giving her the same look Kiyomi did the first time she met her. It's an inquisitive look, almost like he's trying to read between the words she said and what she might really mean.

"Aragaki? Yeah, he's in the back." He points towards a booth near the front windows. "See that booth there? Have a seat over there and I'll go get him for you." The man shoots her a sly grin giving her the impression that this Shinji doesn't get many people, if any, asking for him at work.

She sits down at the booth and waits for Shinji to come out from the back. Her nervousness is translating into fidgeting again, this time with chopsticks instead of a pen. This is the closest she's come to finding something that will help her get her memories back since she woke up at the train stration, but for some reason she's terrified. There's a nagging sensation in the back of her head telling her it would be better not to know, that maybe whatever happened to her in the past isn't worth knowing. She starts to agree, the longer and longer she waits.

She's debating leaving. Maybe asking him on a different day when she's had time to think would be better. Maybe it's better not knowing at all. Before she can get up to leave, she notices the same man from the cafe standing over her. He's staring at her with that same look on his face but she holds her own and stares back. After a few moments he takes the seat across from her. He's still not saying anything, just staring at her. She notices his hair is now pulled back in a low ponytail and has a gleam of sweat on his forehead from being back in the kitchen. _I know he can cook_ , she almost says aloud. _How do I know that?_ She takes a moment to get another good look at the man in front of her. Without the jacket that he had on earlier, she can see that he keeps himself in very good shape. His t-shirt isn't even that tight fitting but she can make out the muscles hidden beneath. Her head's spinning again and another memory starts to appear.

_The bed in his dorm room is hardly big enough for him, let alone two people. He's lying on his back, his jacket and shirt already thrown haphazardly on the floor. She's sitting in between his legs, her hand trailing over his chest. She can tell he's watching her every move, even without looking up to confirm it herself. She guides her hand down his chest and to his abdomen leaving a trail of goose flesh where her fingertips were. She can not so much hear but feel his breath hitch as her thumb grazes the sensitive skin right below his the band of his boxers —_

"What's your name?" She's snapped out of her thoughts and finds that he's looking right at her, the same intense look on his face.

"I-I don't remember. I don't remember anything about myself, really. Kiyomi-sama found me at the train station about a month ago. She's been calling me Haru." She hesitates for a moment before asking what she really wants to know. "You know me, don't you?"

He doesn't say anything, not for a long time. His gaze is directed to the world outside the window, not even seeming to be focused on one thing in particular. "Tell me everything you remember." his voice cracks, still not bringing himself to look at her again.

She tells him everything she remembers. From the train station, to her first night in the apartment, to working at the coffee shop and the people that come in. She tells him how the smell of coffee makes her think of tea and a man's laughter. How she dreams of a green sky, a towering building and a young boy in stripes. How she remembers being on the roof top of a school and a bittersweet feeling. The whole time he just sits and listens, not turning towards her once. When he finally turns back towards her, the look on his face had softened from the almost glare he had earlier.

"You asked me if I know you. I do, I do know you. Your name is Minako Arisato. You went to Gekkoukan High in Tatsumi Port Island. You…died a little over a year ago. You died to save the world."

Her breath catches in her throat. She died? Then how is she here right now? She had hoped that if he knew who she was, everything would come back to her. Instead, she just has more questions than answers. Is Gekkoukan the school roof she remembered? Is that building in her dreams on Port Island? She sighed, frustrated with her inability to remember anything he said.

"Can you tell me what you know about me? About what happened? Please, Shinjiro-senpai. I have to know." The words practically tumble out of her mouth.

He snorts, a small smile appearing. "If you can call me senpai without realizing it, then your memories are locked in you somewhere. I can tell you about what happened. I'll even tell you a bit about you. But" he pauses "I won't tell you everything. This is a something you need to do yourself. I promise you though, I'll help you find what you've lost."

He reaches out and puts his hand on top of hers, his hand so much larger in comparison that it practically hides hers from view. The touch feels like electricity coursing through her body. Her heart's racing and she can't help but wonder if he's the man that was lying in that bed. Their gaze is locked onto each other for what seems like an eternity. As a waitress walks near the table, Shinji breaks the gaze and deftly grabs a pen from her apron while grabbing a napkin that was on the table. The loss of his touch is almost as shocking as the initial touch itself. After scribbling a few things down on the napkin, he passes it to her.

"Here, that's my cell number. Call or text me if you need anything. I have to get back to work. I work tomorrow too but I'm free on Saturday. If you'd like, I can come pick you up and we can talk?" He seemed to hesitate on asking her, his eyes were focused on his hand still holding the pen. The thought of this intimidating looking man being scared of asking to see her again brings a smile to her face.

"Okay, Saturday works. How about 2pm? I live right above the cafe. There's a flight of stairs on the west side of the building, just walk up those and knock."

"Ok, 2pm then. I'll see you then." He rises from the table, but sets his hand on top of hers before walking away.

She watches him walk back into the kitchen. As excited as she is over seeing him again and finding out more about her past, she can't shake this feeling that her being here is the start of something terrible.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter! But couldn't cut off their first alone time together. I wouldn't be able to sleep if I did that!

_She practically forced her way into his room. He hopes she doesn't notice how barren his room is. Just a lone box sitting on his desk. He knows his time is short, she doesn't need to know that._

_"So? Happy now? You're always pushing me around all the time…you're just gonna ignore what I want, huh? Well two can play that game."_

_She's looking at him in a way he's never thought he'd see. It's like there's a fire burning inside her and he's a moth heading straight to the flame — and he's never wanted anything as much as he wants to be wrapped in that fire right now. He crosses the small distance between them and wraps his arms around her. She's feels as hot as he expected, this wildfire in the shape of a human girl. He nuzzles the side of her head, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear as he talks._

_"This is your fault, you know. I'm all confused. You're all I can think about, day and night. Dammit, this isn't how it's supposed to be…"_

_He backs off from the fire. She deserves one last chance to change her mind. If she doesn't leave…_

_"You get it, right? Go back to your room. If you don't go now, you're not gonna get another chance."_

_She's smirking at him now, the fire still burning in her eyes. God, she drives him wild. She says she's not going anywhere, which is exactly the response he was wanting._

_"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" He's on her again, but instead of wrapping his arms around her he's got her pinned between himself and the door. His hands are on the door above her head and his mouth is against her neck this time, taking in the smell of tea, lavender shampoo and a scent that's uniquely her._

_"I'm going to make myself clear…" he presses his lips against the crook of her neck, leaving a small trail of kisses until he's right by her ear. "I ain't holding back any more."_

_He's on her mouth in an instant, kissing her with the all the fervor he can manage. Her lips easily part against his, giving him free reign to taste the tea she had earlier as his tongue finds hers. She's got her hands on his chest now, pulling at his jacket to get him as close as possible at this angle. His hand is her hair, freeing it from the bobby pins and the hair tie she always uses. It's like touching silk. He groans against her mouth and pulls her back from the door slightly so he can get taste even more of her. By the time they part, her lips are swollen and her cheeks a darker shade of pink. She stares up at him, with love and lust in those red, red eyes and she says the sweetest thing._

_"Shinji…"_

A crash and a dog barking outside his window wakes him from a very detailed dream.

"Ugh…fuckin' dog." He rolls over and looks at the alarm clock. 6:35am. He's supposed to see Minako at 2pm today. He hasn't seen her since she showed up at the restaurant on Thursday but she's invading his thoughts just like she did before. It's too early to be up, but he might as well get the day started. With a groan, he tosses back the covers and sits on the edge of the bed. He goes to adjust his boxers and his hand comes back sticky.

"Guess that's a cue that it's time for a shower." He mumbles aloud to himself.

His one bedroom apartment isn't too different from his dorm room back in his SEES days. It actually looks like someone lives here but it's still very spartan by normal standards. He grabs a towel from the closet and heads out of his room and opens the first door on his left. He flips the light switch, his eyes squinting while he adjusts to the sudden burst of light. The bathroom is about as basic as it could be. A pedestal sink with an oval mirror above it, a standard toilet, and a shower. He got approval from his landlord to install a medicine cabinet. He was happy when there was just a small gap between the cabinet and the door. That was really the only spot it would fit in.

He turns on the shower and pulls his boxers off, tossing them near the door. He set's the towel on top of the toilet, one of these days he'll remember to get a towel rack when he's at Junes. He waits another moment before jumping in. He knows better than to get right in — he's been woken up to icy cold water one too many times. When the water's not comparable to being hit with a Bufudyne spell, he steps in, letting the water sluice against his body. He leans his head into the spray, the water soaking his hair making it's current length even more obvious. It's gotten pretty long, definitely past his shoulders now. He's actually walked into a barber shop on multiple occasions but he can't seem to actually follow through with it. He idly wonders if Minako likes it longer. He seems to recall her really liking it before…

He shakes his head causing some of the shampoo he just put in his hair to end up on the sides of the shower instead of on his head. He still feels the same about Minako as he did the day she died. He just doesn't want to rush anything with her. Even touching her hand was pushing it, at least in his book. She hardly remembers anything about herself. She probably doesn't even remember loving him. That thought pains him, but he's been trying to force himself to accept that as a possibility. He won her over once, he can do it again, right?

He finishes washing his hair and squeezes out some body wash onto a washcloth. He's been hooked on this woods-scented gel he found at Junes a few months ago. It's the only thing he has that masks the smell of kitchen that seems to be soaked into his skin. He rinses off the now-sudsy gel and grabs the towel, drying himself off before wrapping it around his waist. He grabs his phone from the nightstand in his bedroom then heads down the hallway and into the living room. He plops himself down on the sofa and flips on the TV, already set on the local morning news.

He unlocks his phone and goes to look at his messages. He's had a draft message waiting to be sent to Aki since his talk with Minako a couple of days ago. Akihiko is currently at the university one town over, not even a 30 minute train ride from here. They are still close, even though it's not as easy to see one another as it was living in the same dorm. Not like they ever really needed to see each other to keep their friendship going. He wants to tell him about Minako's sudden reappearance, but he's just not sure if she's ready yet. She seems so quiet compared to before, but he's got a feeling that fire is still in her — locked away just like her memories. Maybe once she's gotten some more of her memories back, he'll contact their comrades. He ignores the thought in the back of his mind telling him that that he's really just being selfish and wants to keep her to himself.

As he's looking through his email, a news report catches his attention. The news anchor is discussing a recent murder in the city, her voice as calm as if it hadn't been local at all. "…we've got an exclusive interview with the individual who found the body."

The footage switches over to a young man, his face and voice distorted to protect his identity. "Yeah, so his body was like, torn in half. Some animal man, I swear. And there was this black stuff everywhere. It was like some jello or mud or something."

The interview cuts off and the news anchor before is back on the screen asking people to reach out to the police with any information. The whole incident seems odd to him. The news station doesn't seem to take this man's account too seriously, it looked like they had to cut together just to get to to sound somewhat fluid. Could it have been a Shadow? He disregards that thought. There hasn't been any sign of the Dark Hour returning since they put an end to it.

He checks the time on his phone — 7:56am. He needs to kill some time. He does whatever comes to mind. He made breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, and even squeezed in two movies before having to leave. He grabs his red jacket before heading out the door. He hated giving up the old red jacket, but it's too heavy now that he's no longer on the suppressants and no longer cold all the time. He was ecstatic the day he found a jacket in the same colour albeit normal length and not as heavy.

He's greeted by sunshine and a light breeze when he steps out of his apartment. There's a few lazy clouds in the sky to cover the light blue sky. He grabs his old watch out of his pocket and is happy to see he's got enough to walk to Minako's instead of taking the bus. He's noticing the other people are coming to the same conclusion. There seems to be more foot traffic than he's used to seeing.

By the time he reaches the door of her place, he realizes they never really discussed what exactly they'd be doing today. He knows that they'll be spending some time cover the past, but he already told her he won't tell her everything. There's so much that he was told second-hand from Aki or Mitsuru. He missed out on what happened when he left SEES and then there's all that happened when he was unconscious in the hospital. Honestly, I shouldn't be the one to tell her this stuff, he thinks to himself. But she asked, so he won't deny her that. He knocks on the door and isn't too shocked to see it opening almost instantly.

"Hey there!" She's all smiles as she opens the door to let him in. "How about we just stay here? It's easier than going somewhere. You don't care, right?"

_Same old Minako, was there every a situation she was really uncomfortable in?_ He does a quick look around the flat as he walks in. It's larger than what he expected and was happy to see she's got a proper kitchen. She doesn't seem to be taking advantage of it, which isn't too surprising. She enjoyed her time at the cooking club back at Gekkoukan but would rather go out and grab something to eat. She's walking over to a grey sofa to their left, gesturing for him to follow.

"Do you need something? I don't have a lot, but I can always run downstairs if you'd like." She asks as he takes a seat next to her, making sure to give her some distance.

"Nah, I'm good. You remember anything else?"

He turns to his head to the left and can see the excitement register on her face. It reminds him of their talk on the sofa back at the dorm, when he had her tell her about school, her friends, everything really.

"Yep! Things seem to be coming back more than they did before I saw you again. There's still a lot of things that I can't put in order quite yet, but it's progress! Wanna know?"

He nods and closes his eyes while she lists all the things she can remember. Many of the events were things that happened at school or with her friends after school. He's happy to hear she's starting to remember everyone from the dorm and even chuckled when she called Junpei 'Jumpy'. He was noticing a disturbing trend with her memories though — nothing about the Dark Hour, the Shadows, or Personas was mentioned. Midway through talking about the old couple at the bookstore she stopped talking and was staring at him, reading him just like she was reading a book.

"I'm missing something important, aren't I?" The question comes out strained. She must realize that too, that all her memories can't be happy ones if she ended up dying. He wishes he could keep all of that from her but he knows she'll find out sooner or later. She deserves a heads up for all the shit they went through.

"Yeah, you are. You told me before you remember a green sky and a towering building right? Do you remember anything else that's like that? Anything that seems, well, odd?"

She goes quiet and leans forward on the sofa, her gaze staring at the black TV screen. She turns back to him after a few moments, the excitement she had earlier now long gone from her voice.

"Sort of. I remember climbing that twisting building and there were these black blobs that would change shape into these…these monsters. And then I'd see Yukari-san or Akihiko-senpai put a gun to their head and then a monster appeared near them. But what came out of them, they were different. Least I think so. Could I do that too?"

"Yeah, yeah you could. You were our leader. All of us, we could only summon one Persona. That's the thing you saw come out of us. But you were different. You could summon many different ones, whenever you needed. You guided us as we made our way up that tower, gave us commands in battle." He smirks before saying the next piece. "Some may even say you were a bit of a badass."

A smile creeps across her face, and just for a moment he sees a bit of that fire in her eyes again. She leans back on the sofa, her hands locked together in her lap.

"A badass eh? I'm ok with that. I haven't really figured out why we were even at that tower. And wasn't there a time when we fought outside the tower? I remember this really uh..raunchy hotel and we fought 2 large Shadow things there."

He's slightly amused by the fact the one full moon battle she remembers is the one at at that hotel on Shirakawa Boulevard. He tells her all he could about why they were fighting — from the Dark Hour, to Strega, and even the battle with Nyx and her sacrifice. He leaves out his absence and his injury from his retelling of that year, that wasn't something he wanted to talk about.

"You know, if I didn't have some of these memories, I wouldn't believe a word you just said. It's sounds like a movie plot. But when you were talking about Nyx, I remembered something. I remembered seeing everyone I know and they had this glow about them. I used their power to create the seal, I think. So yeah, I was a badass." She shoots him a sly grin. "So, what else should I know?"

"Nothin', for now. You've got enough to think on. I ain't going anywhere, we can talk about this later." He can see out of the corner of his eye that she's pouting. She can deal with it. He wasn't big on talking and he's talked more than enough for one day.

She gets up from the sofa and walks over to the kitchen, grabbing her phone off the counter. "Dang it's almost 6 already? Wanna go grab a bite to eat somewhere? There's this great ramen shop not too far from here. I'm starving right now!"

He shrugs. "Yeah sure, I could eat. Let's go."

He follows Minako out the door and down the stairs. As they make their way to the shop, he notices she's moving closer and closer to him, her hand just brushing against his but it eventually stays wrapped around his. His brain is telling him to let go, that she can hardly remember you. But his heart is saying to pull her close and never let her go again. She's got this ability to leave him confused and he loves her and hates her for it all in the same breath.

When they reach the ramen shop, they take a seat at the front counter by the chef. The layout of the place is not unlike Hagakure back on Port Island. They're relatively quiet during the meal, only making small talk about the town every now and again. It's a peaceful kind of silence though. After a short battle of who's paying, which Shinji successfully won, they walk out into a now dark city.

They aren't even a block from the restaurant and he notices Minako is shivering. She was in such a hurry to get food that she didn't grab her jacket. He stops walking and shrugs his jacket off.

"C'mere."

She turns to face him and he reaches around her to drape his jacket around her shoulders. She grabs the front of the jacket near her chest to pull it closer to her body. Even though the jacket fits him fine, it looks like she's swimming in it. He can't help but think how she'd look in nothing but one of his t-shirts. _Damn this girl._ He starts walking again so she doesn't see the blush that's creeping up his neck.

She catches up to him in a few steps and her hand quickly finds his. This time, she's lacing her fingers in between his. She gives a small squeeze on his hand, turning her head to smile at him. He can't help but chuckle. He dreamed of moments like these. Small, insignificant on the grand scale of things. He never thought he'd have moments like these, then he met her and that all changed. She was gone before they could share many moments like this. It will be different this time, they've been given a second chance. He'll protect her this time, he promises to himself.

They're at the door to her flat quicker than he'd like. She lets go of his hand and he's already missing the feeling and the warmth she radiates. She grabs her keys from her pocket and unlocks the door but instead of heading inside, she turns back to face him.

"Uhm…I can't even begin to thank you enough. If you didn't come into the cafe, I'd still be without any real memories. I wouldn't even know my name. So..thank you, Shinji, for everything." She's flashing him a smile so pure, so genuine he can't help but feel embarrassed.

He rubs the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at her. "S'nothin—."

She's suddenly on her tip toes, her lips pressed to his. It's a chaste kiss and over before he can really register what she's doing. She pulls back and is looking right into his eyes. She's got a look that he's seen once before, one she had on the night he'll never forget.

"I'll see you soon, Shinji." She turns around and heads inside, leaving him high and dry and wanting more. He chuckles aloud and heads down the stairs, back to his apartment.

It's not until he's almost home that he realizes she still has his jacket. He'll be getting that and more the next time he sees her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the start of something magical. I hope you're enjoying Minako's development! As always, I appreciate the reads!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kudos & subs! It's been awesome to know you guys are enjoying the story so far! I'm also looking at introducing some other P3 characters here soon, got a couple of ideas bouncing around my head right now.

_She's in a world bathed in yellow light. All she can see is barren, lifeless land before her. Despite the lack of life, there's voices all around her. She turns and turns, trying to find the source of the voices but there's nothing as far as eyes allow her to see. She starts sprinting, hoping something in the landscape changes. No matter how far she runs, nothing changes in this place. Feeling defeated, she sits on the ground, wrapping her arms around her legs as she pulls them tight to her chest. The voices eventually die down and become nothing more than indistinct chatter. She closes her eyes, letting the chatter lull her into sleep. When she next opens her eyes, she hears a voice next to her._

_"Are you lonely?"_

_She turns in the direction of the voice. There's a man sitting on the ground next to her, his blue suit such a contrast to the yellow tint of this place._

_"I thought you found the answer to your question. But it seems I was wrong."_

_Answer? To what? Her head starts to pound._

_"Let me ask again. Are you lonely, Minako?"_

_"Lonely…?" Her voice is but a whisper._

_"My master may not approve of this, but I cannot leave my most treasured guest in such a state. I shall escort you back." He stands, the yellow dust of this place clinging to his black pants. He extends his hand to her, but she hesitates._

_"Back where?"_

_"Why, back to those who cherish you the most. I cannot give you back what you have lost, but know that the memories of those who's lives you touched live on in you. Seek them out, and they shall come back."_

_"Okay…"_

_As soon as her hand reaches his, the world around her starts spinning. The dirt is crumbling below her feet, the sky cracking and shattering to pieces. She feels the grip around her hand loosen. And then she's falling. Blue fades to black then black fades to blue. Outlines appear all around her of tall buildings trying to touch the sky. She's falling past them, too fast she thinks. She needs to slow down. She sees the green of grass and she's still going too fast. She's going to crash any second now —_

Minako sits up abruptly, struggling to catch her breath. Dream or memory? She can't tell the difference anymore. She rises from the futon, tucking her sweat slicked bangs behind her ear. The cold floor is a welcome feeling compared to the sensation of falling. She makes her way to the kitchen, filling a glass full of water and drinking a whole glassful before shutting the water off. She turns and leans against the edge of the counter, staring out in the darkness of her flat. She can make out the silhouette of Shinji's jacket on the back of one of the chairs near the kitchen.

She hadn't meant to keep his jacket overnight. By the time she had realized she still had it on, he was long gone. She sent him a text right away apologizing for keeping it, but he said not to worry and he'll get it later. She thought back to what that man had said in her 'dream', about taking her back those who cherish her most. Could Shinji be the one who cared for her the most? He was obviously someone very special to her. She noticed yesterday that the more time she spent with him, the closer she wanted to be to him. She wanted to see if she'd get that same feeling like when he held her hand at the restaurant a few days back. When she reached for his hand on their way to the ramen shop, she got a different feeling than what she had before. This time it was like a fire coursing through her veins, warming her from the inside out. It burned away the uncertainty and the confusion she's been trying to hide, leaving her feeling almost reborn.

She walks back to where her futon was set up, her hand grazing over Shinji's jacket as she walked past it. She lays back down and turns on her side, grabbing her phone from where it was charging. 1 new message — from Shinji.

"Had fun today. Next time, no ramen. You need to eat better."

She giggles. Of course he'd be worried about what she's eating. That seems…so like him. She debates waiting until morning to reply but decides that she'd rather do it now.

"How bout dinner ur place next, if ur gunna worry soo much bout my diet"

She sets her phone back down and rolls over on her other side, getting herself comfortable so she can get a few more hours of sleep before getting up to work. To her surprise, her phone beeps a few minutes later. She didn't think Shinji would be replying back at this hour. She reaches back over and yanks the phone from the cord.

"I'll make you a deal. I'll cook you dinner if you bring back my jacket. Sound good?"

"Okay! When?" she quickly taps out the message before hitting the send button.

"How about Monday night at 7?"

"Works 4 me"

"Ok, see you then. Here's the address…"

She's grinning from ear to ear by the time she sets the phone down again. She hasn't had a good meal since…well, before she died probably. She's been running off either food from the cafe or the ramen shop around the block. The thought of some more alone time with Shinji is also very, very enticing.

Light is leaking through the window, casting her flat in an orange glow. Minako stretches her arms above her head. It takes her a moment to register that she shouldn't be seeing so much light this early in the morning. She quickly grabs her phone, 5:52am. _Shit, gotta get up gotta get up_. She throws back the covers on the futon and makes a mad dash to her closet, grabbing whatever is clean and kind of matches. She's still putting on her shoes as she makes her way down the stairs and walks into the kitchen of the cafe.

"Morning, sleepy head!" She hears Kiyomi call from the dining area. She grabs an apron off the hooks near the door leading out of the kitchen, and sees Kiyomi and Tomoe standing by the counter.

"Sorry" Minako bows her head, "I slept through my alarm. It won't happen again, I promise!"

Kiyomi chuckles and even Tomoe manages a smile.

"It's ok, I'm sure you had _quite_ the busy night last night. I was hoping to hear all about it before we opened, but we'll just wait until after the morning rush dies down. You can go ahead and unlock the door sweetie. Oh and do fix your hair, I know you didn't have time to put it up like you normally do but you look like a ragamuffin!"

She tries to tame her hair as she makes her way to the front door. She spends the next few hours dealing with a larger than normal Sunday crowd. It isn't until close to eleven that they have a moment to relax.

She's cleaning one of the coffee machines when Kiyomi and Tomoe appear next to her. She knows what they're going to ask long before Kiyomi asks.

"You saw that Shinji fellow yesterday. So, tell us, how did it go? Don't spare any details now!"

Minako recounts the details of yesterday's events — of course leaving out the details about Shadows, Personas, and her dying of course. By the time she gets to part about the kiss, Kiyomi is so excited that she's practically yelling

"You KISSED him?! What did he do? Did he kiss you back? Oh he better of, if not I'm marching right over to Yasu's right now and giving him a piece of my mind! He will NOT be treating you poorly, not on my watch!"

At this point, the few customers still in the cafe were staring at the ladies behind the counter. Tomoe's face is beet red and she is trying to hide her face in her apron. Kiyomi, realizing how she just broadcasted the events to her customers, coughs and then whispers.

"…So?"

"Uhm, I didn't really give him a chance do. I didn't even realize I was going to! I just, my lips just.. I just moved on my own. By the time I realized what I was doing, I pulled away and ran back inside. I even kept his jacket by mistake!"

"You kept his jacket?!" She wasn't expecting Tomoe to be recovered from embarrassment yet, but she seems to have recovered enough to talk again.

"You should wait at his apartment after work, with the jacket in hand. And when he shows up, say something like 'I wouldn't want you to be cold' while staring into his eye."

Both Kiyomi and Minako are quiet for a moment then burst out laughing almost at the same moment. Tomoe is looking flustered again, trying to explain herself.

"I…I just. It's romantic! I read something like that once! Come on you two stop it!"

It takes a moment for them both to calm down. She wasn't expecting Tomoe to be such a romantic. _She probably read that in a manga or something. Still…not a bad idea idea_ , she thinks.

"Sorry Tomoe! I'd totally do that, but I've already got plans to give Shinji his jacket back. I'm meeting him tomorrow night at his place for dinner. I'll give it back to him then."

"Dinner!? At his place?!" Kiyomi is raising her voice again. "What are you going to wear? Oh, you don't have anything appropriate for such an occassion. We're going shopping after we close for the day — all 3 of us. Cancel your plans!"

"I really don't think I need—" Kiyomi is cutting her off.

"Yes, yes you do! You said he hadn't seen you in over a year, since he graduated? Well you are a woman grown now, he needs to see that! Make him see that he never should of left you in the first place!"

The customers that were still there are quickly shuffling out the door now, obviously they heard enough gossip for one day. It's now Minako's turn to bury her face in the apron. She doesn't even have it in her to tell Kiyomi that it was really _her_ who left _him_.

Kiyomi and Tomoe are planning out the stores to check and what she should be wearing, and it's not until Minako finishes busing the tables that Kiyomi releases the lack of customers.

"Oh? There's no one else here? Well, let's just close up the day! It's going to be a busy afternoon, girls!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kiyomi reminds me of a super supportive aunt and/or a sister from another mother. Up next will be a Shinji-centric chapter, and we get to see if he gets his jacket back 'and more'!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my tumblr post for this chapter to get a little insight into the meal and Minako's outfit in this chapter. As always, thanks for the views/kudos/bookmarks!

The last group seated for the night is finally filing out the door, Shinji’s glare following them until they are out of sight. He doesn’t mind people having a preference on how their food is cooked but sending back two plates because the steak is ‘too pink’ then ‘not pink enough’ is just absurd. He turns back into the kitchen to help get the place cleaned up for the night. He’s supposed to be cooking dinner for Minako tomorrow but his boss has yet to give him the OK. After finishing his share of the work, he heads for the office room located in the same hallway as the bathrooms. There’s not much in the office — a desk, a computer, and a filing cabinet. Yasuhide is sitting in front of the computer entering in the till’s totals for the night when Shinji walks in.

“Hey, s’okay for me to be off tomorrow?” He stands in the doorway, leaning against the frame of the door.

Yasu set his reading glasses on the desk near the daily receipts and leans back in his chair, his hand stroking his chain in a mocking sort of way.

“Maybe. You haven’t asked for a day off since you started here. Got some hot date or something?”

“Tch…” The question flusters Shinji more than it should. He reckons that it is technically a date, he just didn’t think about it that way. They’re in a different position than before. Before they were connected by SEES and the mission and Minako’s ability to push her way into his life. Now they are two people who used to be connected trying to get back to where they were, with one person forgetting everything about themselves. 

“Oh ho. It is. Is it with that smokin’ red head from earlier in the week? How’d you manage to land someone like her? Ah whatever, you won’t tell me how. Won’t even indulge an old man some pleasant thoughts.”

“Old man? You’re what, 35? Get out of the restaurant for a change and you won’t need some stories to get you through the night.” Despite the snarkiness in his voice, Shinji can’t help but let a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. He always thought Yasu was an older version of Junpei, only serious when it was absolutely needed. His personality made it easier to work for him and their customers seemed to like it as well, some would stop in just to shoot the shit with him. 

“Always cruel, Aragaki. No idea what she sees in a grouch like you! But yeah, you’re good to be off tomorrow. I’ll even toss in Tuesday for you as well, just in case you need it.” Yasu lets out a hearty laughter.

“Now get out of here, I’d like to get the books done sometime tonight.”

“Thanks boss.” Shinji closes the office door on his way out and walks back through the kitchen, saying goodnight to the two waiters and line chef who hadn’t yet left.

He’s missing the warmth of his jacket as soon as he steps outside. It’s been a bit colder than normal for mid April and the cloudless night doesn’t help. He shoves his hands in his pants pockets and makes a beeline for his apartment. 

He tosses his keys on the breakfast bar as he walks into his apartment, locking the door behind him. Most Sundays after work he either heads to the twenty-four hour gym a few blocks away or goes for a jog if the weather is appropriate. He decides to call it an early night for a change. He still needs to go to Junes to pick up ingredients for tomorrow’s dinner and make sure his apartment is spic and span. He strips down to his boxers, tossing his shirt and pants in the general direction of the hamper in his bedroom before laying down for the night. He falls asleep with images of flowing red hair and a contagious smile.

His alarm promptly wakes him at 9:00am and he wastes no time getting busy. Shinji keeps his apartment fairly clean but decides he’d rather it be too clean than not enough. He sweeps, dusts, and scrubs every surface in the place. He even justifies washing his bedding. Even without all her memories, Minako is still Minako, and he knows she may just force her way into his bedroom without leaving him much choice. 

It’s about noon when he finishes cleaning the place. He heads into the kitchen and starts getting a list together of what he needs from Junes. He decided to go with more traditional-styled cuisine versus the Western cuisine that’s popular at the restaurant. Some marinated chicken thighs, diver scallops, and chawanmushi. He sets his grocery list on the kitchen counter and heads to the bathroom to take a quick shower before leaving to catch a bus to the other side. 

The bus on the route to Junes is overly crowded midday on a Monday. He decides to take a standing spot towards the back of the bus, leaving the few open seats available to those who might truly need it. The damage from the suppressants and gun shots didn’t leave him in too bad of shape. Just a couple of scars and an occasional coughing fit. Considering he should have died, he’ll take scars and coughing any day.

After 6 or 7 other stops, the stop for Junes is finally announced. _Damn, is it everyone-goes-to-Junes day or what?_ Almost half of the other riders on the bus stand and start amassing near the door. When he finally walks through the sliding glass doors of Junes, he realizes why. They’re doing some mega Spring sale with free cleaning supply samples and giveaways. He steers his cart the opposite direction of the crowds and makes his way to the grocery section. The sale seemed to leave the rest of Junes almost empty, so he’s able quickly gets what he needs from the butcher and the last few items he needs down the long aisles. He considers heading over to the furniture section and looking at the dining room sets. He’s never bothered with entertaining at his place. His only regular guest, Aki, is as content sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar or eating on the sofa as he would be sitting at an actual dining room table. But now that he’s having someone else over, he’s realizing it would be a worthwhile investment.

He checks his phone, already past one o’clock. He decides against window shopping for now. The next bus will be stopping here in less than 15 minutes, so he makes his way to the check out area. He just barely catches the bus before it pulls away. The cashiers are Junes are always overly happy and just don’t seem to pick up on the fact he’s not a small-talk kinda guy. He spends the bus ride home planning out what all he needs to prep, considering the most time efficient way to get dinner ready right around 7pm. He’s always been good at cooking but he’s gotten much better at time management since he started working at the restaurant. 

He sets the grocery bags on the kitchen counter as he enters the kitchen. He rolls up the sleeves of the long sleeved brown shirt he had hurriedly tossed on earlier and starts grabbing everything he needs from the cabinets. He doesn’t spend as much time cooking in this kitchen as he does the one in the restaurant but he still has it mapped out in his mind. He even assembles a prep line similar to what he’s used to at work. Once everything is set up, he quickly gets to work. His hands deftly move from task to task, knowing just when to turn the scallops or how much truffle he’ll need for the sauce for the chawanmushi. He’s on autopilot for the next few hours until the time on his microwave reminds him that she’ll be here in a half hour.

He takes a moment to go back to his bedroom and rummage through his closet for something more appropriate than a plain long sleeved shirt and some jeans. He hasn’t been on a traditional ‘date’ before and he wouldn’t even call this one, but even he knows he should at least try and look decent. He eventually settles on a black button up and a pair of gray pants and adds nicer clothes to his mental Junes list, right below towel rack. 

He heads back to the kitchen to finish the final touches on the meal. It’s only a few moments later that he hears a knock on his door. He takes a deep breath before answering the door and he’s grateful that he did, because Minako is looking absolutely breathtaking.

Her auburn hair is down, soft curls cascading down her shoulders and back. She chose a little black dress with cap sleeves that leaves little to the imagination, the silken fabric clinging to the curves of her breasts and hips. She paired the dress with cherry red heels that give her at least another three inches in height. She’s holding his jacket close to her waist, hiding her fidgeting from view. By the time his gaze makes it back to her face, a blush has appeared across her cheeks that seem to match the colour of her lip gloss. 

“So, are you just going to stare at me all night or can I come in?” She tries to sound confident, but he can hear a bit of uncertainty in her voice. He doesn’t understand why, she’s beautiful on a regular day. How she’s dressed tonight, he can hardly function. She’s that damn beautiful.

“Yeah…yeah come on in.”

He opens the door to allow her to come in, and he notices that the dress exposes her some of her upper back and there’s a bow towards the waistline. It takes all the power in him to not come up behind her and running his fingers across the exposed skin. She’s looking around the apartment and he can’t help but feel a bit subconscious about the lack of personal items.

“It ain’t much…but it works.” He rubs the back of his beck while he takes his jacket from her and puts it in the small coat closet near the front door.

“It’s really nice! You’ve got a lot of space in here.” She heads over to the breakfast bar, sniffing the air as she goes.

“Mmmm…it smells so good. When is dinner? I mean, I can wait, I can totally wait. Not like I’ve been drooling over this all day or anything.” She’s all smiles and laughter and he can’t help but to remember the day he made food for the whole group.

“It’s pretty much done, have a seat and you’ll be able to snarf it down in a couple of minutes.” He heads into the kitchen while she tries to get comfortable on one of the stools. It’s not long after that he hears a thump near the front door then another one shortly after. He turns around to see just what was making the noise as Minako sticks her head up over the raised counter top.

“Uhm…sorry about that. Those shoes had to go. I’m not used to heels at all.” Her smile is contangious and he smiles back at her.

“Make yourself at home. I sure as hell know I wouldn’t want those things you call shoes on for long.” He starts plating dinner, making sure to give her a larger portion. Her ability to eat copious amounts of food hasn’t changed from what he’s seen. She polished off the extra large bowl of ramen the other night in record time. He reaches across the bar and sets her plate down in front of her and then grabs his and takes the seat next to her.

The spend most of the meal in silence, with Minako making occasional sounds of approval or trying to talk with a mouthful.

“Thish ish sooooo gud. I culd eatsh thish evri daies!”

Even with poor table manners, he couldn’t ask for a better dinner companion. He’d gladly cook her meals like this every day if she wanted, as long as he could see that smile of hers. She polishes off her plate then leans back in her chair, rubbing her stomach.

“That was so, so good Shinji. That was the best meal I’ve ever had. Thank you.” She reaches out and lays her hand on top of his. He turns his hand over, giving her hand a slight squeeze before he lets go and reaches for her now-empty plate.

“Yeah, anytime. Glad you enjoyed it. You can’t live on ramen you know?” He sets the plates in the sink and watches her get down from the stool and head over for the large window in the living room opposite of the breakfast bar. He can hear her mumble something about ramen being healthy enough. He watches her for a few moments, imprinting this moment into his mind. To think that Minako would be standing in his apartment all dressed up just for him, it was almost unbelievable. 

He follows the same path to the window that she took. Her back is still facing him, her gaze staring at something hidden in the darkness of night. He can’t help but to wrap his arms around her waist, pulling her body close to his. He can feel her lean back into his touch, her hands coming up to rest on top of his. He leans down, burying his face in her neck and breaths her in. He can feel her breath hitch in her throat as his lips meet the soft, supple skin on her neck. It’s in this moment that he truly realizes that she’s here, that it’s not some dream that he’ll be waking up from like every ever time. His hands slide from their position in the center of her waist to the sides of her hips. He turns her body to face his. Her lips are slightly parted, a blush spread across her cheeks and down her neck. Her eyes are focused directly on his. He can tell that even if she doesn’t remember that moment they shared all those months ago that she still cares for him. He brings his hand up to her face, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb.

“Minako…I missed you. I didn’t think I—” 

She’s swallowing his words, just like how she did the other night. But this time he can feel the pressure of her lips against his. She’s pulling away again, but this time just enough so she can look him in the eyes. He can feel her breath against his lips as she talks.

“I know. I may not remember everything that happened, but when I’m with you I’m happy, and when you’re not around I feel empty. That’s the only thing I need to know, how I feel about you right now.”

His lips are meeting hers before she finishes talking. His hand reaches behind her neck, moving up slightly and gently grabs a handful of her auburn locks, tugging down slightly to give him easier access to her mouth. He feels her smile against his lips, her hands grabbing tightly onto the fabric of his shirt. Her tongue grazes against his lips, and he’s quickly parting his lips to give her access. She is like the sweetest alcohol, the more he has of her, the more intoxicated he feels. He so lost in her that he doesn’t even notice her guiding them down the hall until they pass the bathroom. He pulls away from her then. Her lips are all red and swollen and even in this low light he can see how hazy her eyes are.

“Stop thinking so much.” She speaks before he has a chance to gather his thoughts to ask her if this is ok. “I know what I want. I want you, Shinji.” Her hands are on his chest, pulling him towards her as she walks backwards into his room. Her lips meet his and he’s drinking her in again. His hands are fumbling with the clasp and zipper on her dress, trying his best to keep up with the tempo she’s setting, her hands trying to tug at the buttons of his shirt and his pants. He finishes first, and eases the dress down her arms and body. He keeps his lips on hers as long as he can but then she’s stepping out of the dress and is standing there in nothing more than a black lace bra and an extremely small pair of matching underwear. She’s been leaving him breathless all night, and again he finds himself unable to do anything but stare. The blush that started on her cheeks has spread down and across her chest, he can make out how unsteady her breathing is by the quick rise and fall of her chest. He thought she was beautiful that night back in the dorms, but he thinks she’s even more beautiful now.

She steps towards him and she starts to unbutton the few buttons she didn’t have time to get to. She helps him out of his shirt and then out of his pants. She’s drinking him in, and brings her hands to his torso. Her touch is feather light but leaves an almost burning sensation in it’s wake. When she reaches one of the scars, she stops. She looks up at him, searching his eyes for some reason as to why those are there. All of a sudden her eyes go wide, he realizes she remembered. He lays a hand on her shoulder, stroking it gently.

“You, you got shot. Protecting Ken-kun. You almost died.” Her voice cracks, her eyes filling with tears. “You didn’t wake up for a long time. I thought, I thought I lost you.” She rests her forehead against his chest, and he’s wrapping his arms around her. He can feel the wetness of her tears on his bare chest, her hands against the small of his back. It pains him to see her relive a memory he wishes he could keep from her. He puts his hand under her chin, raising her face up towards him.

“I know, but I came back. So did you. We’re here now, together. It’s ok, that’s all in the past.”

She stares at him a few moments, a slight smile appearing on her face before she’s leaning her cheek against his chest. He kisses the top of her head, his thumbs idly rubbing her back. Maybe one day he’ll have the courage to tell her about how much he really missed you. He’ll tell her about how he would visit her grave every night before he left Port Island. He’ll tell her about how all almost the whole school came to her funeral. He’ll even tell her how he slugged Aki in the jaw when he doubt that he actually loved her. But that day is not today. So he leads her over to the bed, laying flat on his back. She doesn’t even hesitate to curl her body against his. Her red hair is splayed across his chest, her hand gently playing with the ends of his hair. As she falls asleep, he makes a solemn promise to himself. That next time, if she leaves, he’ll follow her — no matter where she goes.

He wakes up to a banging on his front door. He ignores it, hoping whoever is there decides to not bother him. The knocking persists, getting louder with each attempt. Minako is still asleep, her head resting in the same spot on his chest. He manages to get out of bed without waking her and makes his way to the front door. He’s debating knocking out whoever woke him from his slumber, but stops when he opens the door.

“Aki? The hell you doing here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Aki, you mood-ruiner you. But what would cause Aki to show up invited early in the morning? Tune in next time!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out! Been knocking out some of the games and movies I've had on backlog. Thank you for all the support so far!

For the first time since she returned to the living, Minako has a dreamless night. No images of her previous life or what happened while she was in flux disturbed her sleep. She could swear it was the best she’s ever slept between her two lives. She sits up and stretches her arms above her head, shivering as the blanket slips down exposing her bare stomach to the cold morning air. She had woken up when Shinji had gotten out of bed about fifteen minutes ago. He still hasn’t come back to bed so she decides to take this opportunity to take in her surroundings. She had other things on her mind last night that were way more important than seeing how the room was decorated.

His bedroom isn’t much different than the rest of his apartment. Gray and white bedding adorns the what she assumes to be queen-sized bed. There is a black dresser across from the foot of the bed and a matching night stand to her right, near the door. Other than the door leading to the closet, the room is bare. She faintly remembers his room back at the door being pretty empty too.

She sits on the edge of the bed, debating cocooning herself in the warmth of the bedding or tracking Shinji down. She had first thought that he was just getting up to use the restroom but judging by the time elapsed and not hearing any running water, he must be in the kitchen or living room. She gets out of bed, deciding she’d rather see him than be all warm in bed. He could warm her up without needing any blankets.

The dress that she wore last night is lying near a pile of discarded clothes by the foot of the bed. She can see the wrinkles in the delicate fabric from here. She walks over to the dresser, grabbing one of Shinji’s tee shirts and tossing it on. It comes down to about mid-thigh but is at least more coverage than walking around someone else’s place in just her bra and panties.

As she makes her way down the hallway, she hears Shinji talking.

“…just been busy with work. That’s all.”

“Yeah, but you’ve never blown me off talking to me when I send you a text or call.”

There’s someone else here. Another male, judging by the voice. She sneaks towards the end of the hallway, trying to stay out of sight. She peeks her head around the corner, trying to catch a glimpse of who’s here. The man in question has his arm draped over the top of the sofa and one foot on the coffee table. He’s obviously been here before. That’s when she notices his silver hair and gray eyes. And those gray eyes notice her.

“Uhh…Shinji who is that?”

_Shoot. Cover blown._ She steps out of her poor hiding spot and into the living room. She can feel the heat of embarrassment on her cheeks. It’s one thing for Shinji to see her with so little on, he’s seen her in less after all. But someone else? That’s a bit much. 

The silver-haired man is looking at her so intensely, like he’s got her under a microscope. She glances over at Shinji. She can tell from here that his jaw is set and he’s looking aggravated with his male guest. Memories float to the front of her mind — Boxing gloves, the smell of ramen, a little sister. _Oh, he’s Akihiko. Well this is awkward way to see him for the first time since I died._ Akihiko must have recognized her as well, even with her hair down and in a tee shirt that’s way too big on her.

“Minako…? Is that you?”

“Uh…hi there.”

He’s up from the sofa now, taking a few steps in her direction before Shinji puts a hand on his shoulder. The contact seems to snap him from his trance and he’s staring directly at Shinji now.

“Why didn’t you tell me she was alive?! Did you even bother to tell anyone?”

Shinji stays quiet, his stance defensive like he’s expecting this to come to blows. She remembers that they’ve known each other for a long time and that they used to get into fights when they were younger. It’s probably an instinct for him to act that way when Akihiko gets upset. She decides to intervene now instead of later.

“He didn’t tell anyone because I asked him not to.” It’s a lie, but it gets Akihiko to focus on her instead of Shinji.

“When I came back, I couldn’t remember anything, even my name. Shinji and I ran into each other a week ago and things are just now starting to come back to me. I just, I guess I wasn’t ready yet to meet everyone quite yet. So that’s why he didn’t say anything to you.”

“Oh…” 

Akihiko sits back down on the sofa, his focus on some invisible object on the coffee table in front of him. She looks over at Shinji, who’s still standing, and he gives her a quick nod. She makes her way over to the sofa, taking the middle seat between the two men.

She shares the events of the last month with Akihiko, explaining about the memory loss and what she’s been doing. She tells him about meeting Shinji and how he’s shared some of what happened with her. She left out the fact that she still doesn’t really remember those events herself, but just considers what he told her as factual events and runs with it.

“…and that’s about it. Sorry that we didn’t say anything earlier. It’s a lot to take in as it is.”

“No, it’s ok. I’m just glad you’re here. We were all…well, it wasn’t easy losing you is all. But, can I ask you something?”

She can tell the wheels are turning in his mind, like he’s trying to fill in blanks. She doubts she’ll have the answer to whatever he asks, but there’s no harm in him asking.

“Sure, whatcha want to know?”

“Why are you here so early in the morning? It’s hardly past 8am. I wouldn’t even be here this early if I wasn’t worried about Shinji going off the deep end or something.”

She’s resisting the urge to face palm, but she can see out of the corner of her eye that Shiji’s doing exactly that. _Is he really that dense?_

“I’ve uhh…been here since last night.”

“Why would you…oh. Oh!” Akihiko springs from the sofa, his face bright red. “I had no idea. I’ll, uh, get going now.”

He’s clumsily trying to get his shoes on, hopping on one foot. She looks over at Shinji, who’s got a smirk on his face. He’s obviously relishing in his friend’s embarrassment. After a few failed attempts, Akihiko manages to get both shoes on and they all make their way over to the front door. With a hand on the door, Akihiko turns back towards them.

“I’m glad that you’re back with us Minako. After everything we’ve been through, it wasn’t right that you were gone. And Shinji, next time just text me back man? That way I’m not uhh…interrupting anything.”

Shinji chuckles. “Yeah, yeah, alright. If you didn’t worry so much you wouldn’t be in this position right now.”

“It was good to see you, Akihiko. I’ll get your number from Shinji later and send you a text. I’ll keep you up to date with what I’m up to.” She shoots him a smile. Even though she wasn’t expecting to see any of her old friends so soon it was still good to have someone else know she’s alive. She hopes the rest of them take what happened to her as well as Shinji and Akihiko have.

Shinji sighs as he closes the door as Akihiko leaves. He pushes his hair out of his face then closes the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her.

“Sorry ‘bout that. Had no idea he’d just show up. You ok?”

“Other than being super embarrassed with my choice of clothes? Yeah, I’m good.”

He steps back from her, leaving his hands on her shoulders. He looks her up and down, a devilish smirk appearing on his face.

“Dunno what you’re embarrassed about. You look good in that outfit. I could get used to it.”

She laughs, easing on tiptoes to kiss him. He meets her halfway, his tongue easily parting her lips to deepen the kiss. His hand slides down her side, moving so agonizingly slow. His hand finally comes to rest on her hip. His thumb draws lazy circles above her hip bone. She can feel warmth spread to her core in the same way it did last night. She slides her hands under his shirt and up his chest, not hesitating on the scars this time. The hand on her hip slides the over-sized shirt up but as his hand slides up her stomach, it decides that it’s a perfect time to let both of them know it’s empty. _Oh go to hell stomach, not now._ She can feel Shinji smile against her mouth. He breaks the kiss, bringing a hand up to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear, the smile remaining on his face.

“Sounds like someone’s hungry. How about I whip something up?”

“Food does sound good. Whatcha going to make?”

“Don’t worry about that. Have a seat, I’ll get something together here in a few.”

After completing ignoring his request to sit and getting in his way multiple times, she was banned from the kitchen area and told to wait in the living room. She pouts at him as he brings over two very loaded plates from the kitchen. Eggs, toast, the works. She’s practically drooling by the time he hands her a plate.

“Yea, knew you couldn’t keep up that pouting act once you got food in your hands.”

Once she takes the first bite, she’s practically shoveling the food in her mouth. She doesn’t know where he learned to cook so well but she’s beyond happy that he has that skill. She loves food, and falling for a man who cooks amazing food is a complete win-win. He takes the now-empty plates back to kitchen and joins her on the sofa again. She curls against his side and his arm comes to rest around her as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Do you have to work tonight?” She idly plays with the end of his hair, wondering what he does with it all when he’s at work. Maybe he pulls it back in a bun?

“Nah, got the day off. What about you?”

“I’m off too. Wanna stay in and watch movies all day?”

She can feel his chuckle reverberate through his body.

“Yeah, sure. What are you in the mood for?”

They end up settling on some action movie that premiered in the past year. That content feeling she felt at the train station her first day back settles in as the movie progresses. She may still have so many questions, but she knows as long as Shinjiro is by her side she’ll be fine. She closes her eyes, a voice resonating in her mind.

_“Thou art I…  
And I are thou…”_


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in this one! I started writing multiple times, and when I finally sat down to write for the night I was dragged away. Luckily though I ignored my need for sleep and busted this out! Thank you all for the kudos/bookmarks/subs/comments!

It’s been a few weeks since Minako stayed the night. They haven’t had as much time to see each other as Shinjiro would like and he completely blames his boss for that. He’s supportive over…whatever this is with Minako but he’s also using this an opportunity to torment him. After a busy lunch shift, he shot off to Yasu that the only reason he’s making him work so much is because misery loves company — that comment earned him two back to back doubles. 

Despite the difference in their schedules, they still manage to see each other. Shinji now makes it a habit to get coffee from the cafe instead of brewing a pot when he gets into work. Minako is all smiles when he walks inside and her fingers brush against his when she hands him his coffee to go. She swings by the restaurant during the lull between lunch and dinner when he can actually spare some time away from the kitchen. 

The first time she came to see him at work, he noticed she was giggling as he made his way to the table she was sitting at.

“What’s so funny?” 

“Is your hair…in a bun?” She failing, miserably, to hold back the giggles from before.

“Yeah, s’what? It’s practical. Keeps my hair outta my face when I’m cooking. Plus it’s hot as hell back there.”

She’s smirking at him from across the booth, aimlessly drawing circles in her drink with her straw with her eyes locked on his. _Always the tease._ She recently discovered that he likes it when she runs her fingers through his hair. She’s been taking every opportunity since to do just that. 

“Could cut it off.” He says under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear. It takes a moment for the comment to register with her, but as soon as it does her eyes go wide. _Gotcha._

“Wait, cut off what? Your hair?” She looks genuinely distraught over the thought. It takes all his strength to keep a straight face. He has no intention of cutting it off, but he learned awhile back that sometimes you gotta push back against Minako. 

“Yah, it doesn’t really make sense to work in a kitchen and keep it long. Maybe I’ll run down to the barber’s on my bre-”

“No, no no. No need to do that.” She’s cutting him off before he can finish. “Just haven’t imagined you with your hair up! It’s nice, really. I _prefer_ it down, but not like it’s hard to get it back down.”

She winks and he can’t help but to chuckle. Her feisty nature has come back completely along with a good portion of her memories. She’s been working on a time line of events, which he got to see the last time he picked her up for lunch. She said it helps keep things straight. Most of the events after November are still hazy for her. There were only brief notes, if any, on some days. He’s just happy to see she’s not freaking out over what happened. Most people would in her situation.

It’s almost mid May by the time they both get an evening off and the following day off. After some serious persuasion on Minako’s half, Shinji agrees to meet her at the ramen shop near her flat for dinner. He leaves the restaurant a little later than he’d like and feels his phone buzz in his pocket as he steps outside.

“SHop is busy. got us a spot. hurry up!”

_At least she’s getting better with using full sentences in her texts._ Not that it was bothering him, or anything.

Busy is right. There’s actually people waiting outside the shop, right by the sign that’s advertising a special. He makes his way past the group outside and heads inside. He sees a head of red hair slurping up noodles sitting at the bar in front of the chef. He sits down in the open seat next to her, noticing there’s already a bowl of his favorite ramen already waiting for him.

“Hope you don’t care that I ordered for you already! They wouldn’t let me save a seat if I didn’t.”

“Nah, course not. Surprised you remembered what I like.”

She’s smiling at him, a look of pride spread across her face.

“Course I do! You ordered it last time we came and you would get the same kind at Hagakure too!”

They spend the rest of the meal in relative silence, which is the norm for them. Minako happily inhaling her food, Shinji enjoying her presence. By the time they leave the shop, she’s had 2 bowls to his one and lost the battle of who’s paying the bill. He can’t help notice the bare skin on her back as her shirt rising as she stretches her hands above her hand. He remembers how soft her skin was there — how soft it was everywhere. 

They hadn’t really progressed any farther physically over the past few weeks. There was a lot of kissing, a lot of touching through clothes. But never getting to the point of strip-you-down-i-want-you-now kind of heat they had that night. He’s been ok with letting Minako set the pace but he can’t help but _hunger_ for more.

“Sooo…what do you feel like doing?” She turns back to face him, all smiles and those red, red eyes snap him back to reality.

“Don’t care, whatever you feel like doing.” She doesn’t need to know that the one thing he really wants to do is make her moan his name like that night back in the dorm. _Nope, doesn’t need to know that at all._

“I got some more of the movies that I missed while I was gone. Could go back to my place and watch some. I’ve even got popcorn!”

“We just ate and of course you’re talking about food already. But sure, movies sound good.” He holds his hand out to her.

She gives him a dirty look before taking his hand, locking her fingers between his. They debate on which movie to watch as they make the quick walk back to her flat. He goes with Minako’s choice over some really over-done action film that he knows is awful. Akihiko dragged him to go see it in the theater. He tries to warn her but she shrugs him off, saying she’ll be the judge of that. They make their way inside and he takes a spot in the middle of her sofa knowing that she’ll be sitting as close to him as possible anyways. Might as well get the prime spot ahead of time. 

She’s fumbling with the DVD and he notices all the little things scattered across the flat, things that are so her. A couple of bobby pins tossed on the coffee table, some used cups in the sink, even a picture of her and Kiyomi sits on the tiny dining room table. There’s more personality in this space than he has in his own. He’s never been one for many sentimental items. Living in an orphanage will do that. He’s got a few photos but not much else. He has his old pocket watch stashed in a box in the back of a closet along with his Evoker — and Minako’s. Mitsuru had given it to him after the funeral along with her SEES badge saying it was best for him to keep them. It sat on his dresser for a week. Every time he was in his room it was like that thing was staring him down, calling his name. After of a night of restless sleep he ended up throwing both items in a box and hiding it from sight. The pocket watch ended up in the same box when he was packing to leave Port Island. Best to hide the things the haunt his dreams.

He feels the sofa cushions sink next to him as she sits down, nestled in close to him just like he predicted. He doesn’t mind one bit, hell he relishes in any physically contact with her. He’s still a moth drawn ever closer to the flame that is Minako Arisato.

They’re not even half way through the movie and Shinji can tell she’s bored. She’s been wrapping a lock of his hair around her finger and trying to not act like she’s been staring at him more the the TV. He eventually turns to her asks,

“You bored?”

“Ugh, yes! This movie is awful. The special effects are nice but the rest of it sucks.”

“Told you you’d hate it. Well, you said you have some other movies. We could pop in one of those?”

She’s got that look on her face, the one that means she’s moved on to greener pastures. The look that makes his pants feel tight because he knows what comes next.

“Mmmm, I have a better idea.”

She sits up and swings her leg over his lap, straddling him. Her lips crash against his and he can feel her tongue in his mouth, her hands wrapped in his hair. There’s times when her kisses are sweet and gentle. This is not one of these times. She’s got him pushed against the back of the sofa. One hand is tugging his hair, the other gripping his shoulder tight. She moves from his mouth over to his neck. Kissing and licking and biting and he swears that he’s going to have a mark near his shoulder when he feels a bite turn into a suck. But he doesn’t care. He’s got one hand on her hip squeezing with the same intensity that her hand on his shoulder is. 

With his other hand though, he decides to be a bit daring. Decides that Minako can always tell him to stop or swat his hand away because _fuck_ , he needs to touch more of her. His hand slides up her stomach and cups her breast. He can feel her go still for a moment, but as soon as he gives a gentle squeeze she grinds her hips down against him. He lets out a moan and gives another squeeze, hoping to elicit the same reaction as before. Her hears her moan and feel her hips grind against him in that way that makes him wish there wasn’t clothes in the way.

As if reading his mind, she’s pulling back from him, tugging at the hem of his shirt. He helps her remove the shirt and she tosses it blindly behind her. His fingers find the edge of her shirt and he can feel the heat of her radiating on his finger tips. Her shirt is quickly tossed to the side and as she goes to unhook her bra, he reaches around her body and moves her hands away.

“Let me.”

He distracts her from his inexperience of doing this with attacking her neck with the same fervor that she had. He eventually gets both hooks done and gives her enough space to discard the garment. The blush on her face extends down to her chest. He can’t help but notice the rise and fall of her breasts as she breaths, the dusky skin around her nipples. He wonders what it’s like to capture them between his lips.

“Touch me. _Please._ ”

He’s on her then, one hand gently rolling her nipple, his mouth on the other. He can feel her arch her back, hear his name on her lips. She’s tugging on his a hair a bit too hard but damn he had no idea how much he’d like that that. He remembers how it was her her initiated it when she forced her way into his room but it was him who left her mewling and begging for more. He switches to her other breast, giving it just as much attention as he had the other. He can feel her hand on his shoulder, gripping him like he’s the only one able to hold her down to the earth.

He feels her fingers creep under his chin, bring him back to eye level with her.

“Futon?” She asks, breathless. Her pupils are blown, her eyelids half open. _God, she’s beautiful._

“Want me to make it?” Lying down would be nice. It would be very nice. More room.

He swears he sees a darker blush creep across her cheeks. “It’s…already made.”

He can feel his laughter reverberate in his chest.

“Planning this, eh Arisato?”

He’s carrying her across the room to where the futon is made, lying her down gently. He settles in between her legs, tugging at her pants before she gets too comfortable. She complies, lifting herself off the ground to allow him to ease her pants, and her panties, off of her. She’s practically glowing from the light of the sunset creeping in through the windows. He leans over her, careful not to put too much of his weight on any one spot and kisses her as passionately as possible. 

He never understood why she fell for someone like him. He was distant, intimidating, hardly went to school. A good-for-nothing, basically. She was personable, inviting, and everyone’s best friend. He’d spent years building up walls, practically perfected them when he knew he was going to die. But somehow, she found her way past all his defenses. And when she found out who he truly is, she said she loved him. He would do anything for this girl, anything. She gives him a peace that he lacks within himself. Forgives him for his wrong-doings. She’s perfect.

He starts kissing his way down her body. On her neck, in between her breasts. He feels her eyes on her as he kisses her hips, then down to her thighs. He turns his head, kissing her on her inner thigh near her knee, leaving a painfully slow trail up and up and up. He sneaks a glance at her before he glides his tongue over her clit. He sees her throw her head back, her hand snaking it’s way through his hair. He licks between her lips, indulging in the taste of her. Earthy with a hint of something uniquely her. He’s lapping her up, entranced by her warmth. She bucks up against him and moves away all in the same motion. His hand moves up to her stomach to keep from squirming. 

He hears his name pour from her, “Shinji, Shinji, Shinji”, and he can feel her come undone, the hand in his hair gripping tighter, the taste her orgasm on his lips. He lets her ride out her high, kissing her across her collarbone and neck. She pulls him down for a kiss, not even concerned about the taste of her remaining on his mouth. He’s a bit surprised when he feels her reach for his shoulders and flips him so he’s the one lying flat on his back.

Her hands are at the button of his jeans, undoing them with a precision he didn’t know she had. He helps her get them off of him and he’s glad she took the boxers with them. Her hand comes to wrap around the base of his cock and he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. From this position the light from the window is dancing shadows on her body but there’s no mistaking that look in her eyes. All lust and love, just like that fateful night so long ago. Then she’s stroking him from base to tip and he can’t help but to close his eyes, a couple of _fuck_ ’s and _Minako_ ’s slipping from his mouth.

He feels her tongue lick the underside of his cock and he’s coming unglued. He feels his hips move of their own volition and then she’s licking his slit, her mouth covering his head as she eases him into her mouth. He’s trying so hard to not just fuck her in the mouth. He’s wanted this so bad but he doesn’t want to make her gag. So he hold backs but then his balls are in her hand and the other is wrapped around his base and _god she’s got all of me in her mouth_ and he’s trying to tell her he’s going to come but she just hums and _fuck_. He let’s go, feels the rush of going over the edge seep through his body. She sucks him till he’s well and spent, then crawls up to lay next to him. 

She lays on her side, one arm draped over his stomach and her head on his chest. He wraps the arm closest to her around her small frame, his other hand comes over to push her hair from her face. She looks up to him, a tired expression across her face but still smiling nonetheless.

“That was amazing.”

He chuckles in response. He wishes he could think of another word cause amazing doesn’t begin to describe it. She leans up and plants a soft kiss on his lips.

“Stay here tonight?”

He smiles. _As if she had to ask._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally hope that was worth waiting for! And I enjoy writing Shinji with a bit of vulgarity. Or maybe I've been reading too much Destiel lately. Oh well!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out! Life has been crazy hectic lately. Apologize in advance for any spelling or grammatical errors, this was written with some serious lack of sleep.

"So, Shinjiro must've stayed over last night."

Minako almost dropped the cup of coffee she was filling when she heard Kiyomi's voice. She didn't hear her walk in. She had came downstairs to the cafe shortly after she woke up after spending some time watching Shinji as he sleeps. _He looked so peaceful_. It was still early enough that she could sneak downstairs for a few coffees before anyone shows up. Everyone at the cafe knows that the two of them are pretty much an item but sometimes she doesn't want to delve into the details of their budding relationship. The only person who doesn't get involved is Shigeru, which isn't too surprising. He's a man of few words who only seems to bond with the dough for the baked goods.

"Yeah, he's still asleep. Thought I'd surprise him with some coffee."

She puts the lid on the cup and turns to face Kiyomi, who's standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She waits a few moments expecting to have to share all the details of last night — the filtered version that is. But fortunately for her Kiyomi steps back into the kitchen. She grabs the full cup that she made before Kiyomi startled her and walked to the kitchen herself. She sees Kiyomi in the tiny office, typing away on the computer. She's almost out the back door when she hears her boss yell,

"I want all the details later, sweetie. Have a good day off!" She had a feeling she wouldn't be able to escape that conversation. Least it was put off for another day.

She's hit by a blast of muggy air as she heads out the back of the cafe. It's not even summer yet but it's been humid for most of the month. She already had Kiyomi replace the ancient A/C unit for her flat to something that actually pumps out cool air. _July is going to be absolutely miserable at this rate_. She quickly rounds the corner of the building and heads back up the stairs to her place.

She can hear the shower running as she sets the coffees down on the table. There's a note written on a scrap piece of paper close to where she set the cups at.

_Needed a shower. Assumed you ran downstairs. - S_

There's a part of her that totally wants to sneak a peak. The thought of a naked, wet Shinjiro sends her mind in a tailspin of possibilities but she decides against it. She decides instead to see what she has in the kitchen for breakfast. She hasn't cooked anything for Shinjiro, at least specifically for him. She thinks she may have given him something from cooking club, but isn't 100% certain.

She opens the door of her fridge to find that it's pretty barren. Much to Shinji's dismay, Minako still finds herself grabbing quick meals instead of stocking up at home. She is happy to find she's got enough for eggs and toast. Simple, but effective. She may not be a pro cook, but she's got the basics down and can totally read a recipe if she feels like getting creative.

After spending a few minutes rummaging through her cabinets to find a pan that would work for the eggs she remembers she still hadn't had any of the coffee she brought up. She heads across the room to grab her cup off the table, looking up just in time to see Shinji walk out for the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

She takes a moment to etch this image in her mind. _For science_ , she thinks to herself. _Yes, completely logical reason to remember all these details_. His hair looks almost black from the shower, the strands clinging tightly around his shoulders and down his back. She can see beads of water drip down the ends of his hair and run down his toned abdomen. Her eyes linger on the small trail of hair leading from his navel, the end of that trail hidden by the towel. His hand is gripping the top of the towel, which seems awfully too small for him.

"Like what you see?"

She turns her gaze back up to his face. Even though he managed to get out a pretty smooth comment, she can see a bit of a blush across his cheeks. Time to play that to her advantage.

"Mmm…yeah. Though you can complete the picture by discarding that towel."

"Bah." _Blush confirmed_. "Imma go put my clothes back on before you get any ideas."

He grabs his discarded clothes from a pile by the futon and heads back into the bathroom. She can't help but chuckle as she makes her way back to the kitchen to get breakfast ready. Pushing his limits never gets old.

She notices his blush still hasn't dissipated when he comes back out of the bathroom, fully clothed this time, and joins her in the kitchen. He gives her a quick kiss, lingering just long enough for her to smell her shampoo in his hair. His gaze turns to what's sitting on the counters for her to make some eggs.

"Making breakfast?"

"Yeah, nothing too special. Got enough for eggs and toast for both of us."

"Want some help?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Didn't you tell me once that you don't enjoy it as much if you cook it or something like that?"

"Surprised you remember. I'll go watch TV or something while you make us breakfast, master chef."

"Hmph!" She pouts at him for the nickname he chose to use, but he just smiles and sits down on the sofa, coffee in hand.

She only let him help on one occasion throughout the process, mainly just to shut him up. He was judging her whisking abilities and kept yapping over her 'technique' and that he could do a better job — she honestly didn't mind, considering he was pressed against her back as he took the whisk from her.

After losing the argument that he doesn't need to do dishes, Minako fumbles through the TV channels as Shinji cleans up the kitchen. There's nothing decent on, and she ends up deciding to voice something she's wanted to for the past week or so.

"Hey…I think I want to meet everyone else. You know, from school?"

He sets the towel down that he was using to wipe off the dishes and joins her back on the sofa. He takes one her hands in his, his gaze lingering at where their touch connects before looking back up at her.

"You sure you're ready for that?"

"Yeah, I think so. I mean meeting Akihiko wasn't a bad experience and I've got more memories back now than I did then. I should be ok. Plus, you'll be with me."

_Trust_. That's the real reason why she has the courage to do this. She trusts in her fragmented memories, her ability to handle whatever might come up, and mainly she trusts Shinjiro. She knows that as long as he's by her side she'll be ok. She's not in this alone. She faintly remembers a room in blue and a conversation about bonds…

"'Kay, if you think so. So, how do you want to do this?"

They ended up discussing just about every possibility on meeting their old friends. From individual meetings to small groups, to letting them know she's alive over the phone or waiting till they're face to face. They end up deciding that they'll arrange for everyone to meet here in town and for Minako to show up shortly after.

She watches as Shinji composes and deletes a text to their friends. It's almost as if he's worried they'll know the real reason as to why he's trying to coordinate a get-together.

"…I haven't really talked to most of em, outside of Aki of course." He says aloud as he deletes another word or two from the text. "Just didn't see the point, ya know? It was too painful."

She wraps her arms around him, kissing his cheek. She hated that she caused him so much pain, and she knows that the others were hurt as well. She's grateful that she's been given this second chance but there's moments where she wishes she didn't have to die in the first place.

"M'sorry, Shinji." She rests her forehead on his arm right below his shoulder, letting her arms slide down from his torso.

"Hey, not your fault. You did save the world, let's not forget that." She can feel him plant a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"Yeah, guess you're right. I've got an idea, you send that text off and I'll text Akihiko. Even if you haven't kept up with everyone that much, I'm sure if both of you are asking it'll go better."

"Hmmm…good idea. Go grab your phone, I'll just send whatever I wrote before."

She unplugs her phone from the charger by her futon, pulling up Akihiko's name in her address book.

_"Hey did ya get Shinji's txt?"_

_"Yes. Are you going to be there?"_

_"course! My idea. Will be a surpise tho. Dont say nything!"_

_"Sure. It'll be nice to see everyone again."_

_"Yea it will."_

It ended up working out that everyone was free two Sundays from now and that they'll meet at a park here in town. Minako will lay low somewhere near the park until everyone is together and wait for Shinji to send her a text. All she can hope is that they believe that it's really her — just like Shinji and Akihiko did. Shinjiro leaves mid-afternoon so he can take care of some errands and she decides to do the same. The sun has long set by the time she gets home. She puts away the groceries and plops down on the futon, still made from last night. She pulls the blankets close, breathing in the lingering smell that Shinji had left behind. She falls asleep shortly after with thoughts of her friends lingering in her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't super long, but it's setting up for the getting the old gang back together! Feel free to follow me on Tumblr (username: velaeria) for updates on the story and other Persona-related goodies. As always, thanks for the kudos/bookmarks/subs/comments!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo sorry for the delay, folks! Life has been crazy! But finally, a new chapter! Hope it was worth the wait! More will come soon, I promise.

"You'll text me once everyone's there, right?"

She's fidgeting with the edge of the plaid tablecloth, a nervous habit he never realized she had. _Did she even get nervous before?_ They ended up having her wait at some burger place near the park while Shinji met the rest of the group. She's got on the summer outfit she wore back when they were still in school. He found out that she had that on when she first came back. It hangs loosely on her now and had insisted that this is what she wanted to wear, even when he advised her otherwise. She may have lost some weight and developed some nervous tendencies, but _damn_ she's just as headstrong as he remembers when she sets her mind on something.

"Yeah, 'course. You gonna be ok? We don't have to do this yet—"

Her hand is warm and a bit sweaty when she places it on top of his.

"It's ok, Shinji. I've got this. Now go, doesn't look good for the host to be late."

"Yeah, yeah…"

He grabs a few large bags from under the table as he rises. She's all smiles as he walks away. She may wear the face well but he can see past it, he always could. She knows that he'll never push her to ask her the questions she doesn't know the answers to — Why is she back? How? He never forces the issue, just listens when she wants to talk. But the others? They could easily ask her all the questions she doesn't have the answers to. She's always been the leader, the one leading the way no matter what was going on. But whatever happened to her has left her more shaken, more vulnerable than before. In a rare moment of self doubt, she told him that maybe that was the price of rebirth. That nothing good is free, that she needed to give up some of her to be back in this world. _Maybe._

He finds his way to a set of picnic tables near the center of the park, rummaging through the bags for the table cloth he's borrowing from the restaurant. He made a modest lunch for everyone at least according to him. Minako seemed to think he went overboard but he's rather have too much than not enough. He even grabbed a few carry out boxes just in case. He doesn't believe any of those idiots are eating properly.

The sun is already beating down on him by the time the table is set. _Another cloudless, hot day_. He can feel his hair starting to stick to the back of his neck. He grabs a hair tie from his pocket, pulling it back in the same bun style he wears when he's in the kitchen. Aki will give him shit for it later, but to hell with it. He'd rather deal with Aki telling him to chop it off instead of overheating. It's much easier to punch Akihiko than the sun — and way more rewarding.

Mitsuru was the first one to arrive. She has been splitting her time between running the Kirijo Group and attending a prestigious school in Europe. She just happened to be in Tokyo for a conference and insisted she could only stay for a short time before she had to be back in the city to take a red-eye flight back west. She took the seat opposite of him, a small smile adorned her face.

"It's good to see you again, Shinjiro. It's been too long."

"Yeah, yeah it's been too long. How's everything?"

She pushes her hair from her face. It's longer than he remembers yet curled the same.

"Extremely busy. Between courses, student associations, and work with the Group I hardly have any free time. We've also identified some recent Shadow activity, but haven't been able to determine the scale or exactly where."

He wasn't expecting that.

"Wait, what? Thought we took care of all that."

"Yes, well this seems to be something a bit different. This project is just in it's infancy. I assure you, as soon as I know more I will inform you and the rest of the group."

"Hmmm…"

Before he can formulate a real thought on that situation, he catches Akihiko and Junpei waving at them. He can practical feel Junpei's energy from across the park. He may have taken on some responsibility by being a coach for a little league team but he's just as care-free as always. And Aki…well some things don't change.

"Heeeeyyy Mitsuru, Shinji."

Junpei slides in next to Mitsuru and starts poking through the food laid out on the table. He must sense Shinji's glare, his hand slowly retreats off the food and into his lap. Akihiko takes a seat to Shinji's left and shoves half a sandwich in his mouth before Shinji has a chance to slap it out of his hand.

"Didn't you bring Aegis?"

Junpei is shooting him death glares across the table, not even facing the person he should be asking the question to.

"I wanted to. She is assisting with a sensitive situation within the Kirijo Group. She sends her regards."

"Guess that makes two missing. Got a text from Ken this morning, said he couldn't make it due to some school project or somethin'." Shinjiro says as he manages to snatch the other half of the sandwich before Aki inhales it. He catches Junpei staring down at the table, his brow furrowed.

"That's not all who's missing…"

The words hang heavy in the air.

"Well that's not—"

He punches Aki in the thigh before he can finish that thought. Damn guy can't keep his mouth shut.

"An-anywho, the girls should be here shortly."

Sure enough, the girls were heading over towards them with Koromaru in tow. He has been staying with Fuuka in her dorm which somehow didn't care that she had a dog. It was some progressive tech school modeled after the environment of the top software companies. Yukari was also in college and working part time as a model. Supposedly her and Mitsuru have stayed close, Aki had told him that whenever Mitsuru had free time she was generally with Yukari.

Yukari takes the open seat next to Mitsuru, giving her a slight bump of the shoulder and a smile as she sits down. Fuuka slides a small box on the table before taking a seat next to Akihiko.

Junpei leans across the time, that typical goofy-ass grin on his face.

"Lookin' good, Yukari-chan!"

"Yeah, yeah. Good to see you too Stupei. And it's good to see you guys too. It's been too long."

"Yeah it has. Thought it'd be good to see everyone again. Uh, there's food. Eat up. Yes Junpei, you can eat now."

He practically beams at Shinji at those words and is instead rummaging through the food. Everyone becomes preoccupied with the food, with small talk. Fuuka chimes in that her box contains cookies and ensures that they are edible. Shinjiro sets a small bowl of food he made for Koromaru on the ground next to him, no way he'd leave him out. He feels his phone buzz in his pocket. _Has to be her._

"Hey evryone there?"

"Yeah. You ready?"

"Uh huh. Picnic tables right?"

"Right. See you soon."

He looks up from his phone, no one seemed to notice his lack of involvement in the conversations. He quickly taps out another message.

"You've got this."

It seems like ages between the time he sent the text and he saw her walking up. Akihiko takes notice as well, jabbing him in the ribs like he had no idea she'd be coming. No one else seems to notice her presence — Fuuka is petting Koromaru and Junpei, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in some debate in regards to baseball pants and practicality outside of the game. She's just a few steps away from the table, standing behind Mitsuru. He watches as she closes her eyes, takes in a big breath and exhales.

"Hey guys."

The voice seemed to pull them all away from their distractions. Everyone is so still, like the world had come to crawl. It's Koromaru who makes the first move, running over to her and nuzzling her leg affectionately.

He hears Fuuka meekly saying _Minako_ before everyone gets up and makes their way to her. He can see the tears in her eyes, as her friends hug her one by one. There will be time to discuss the past year. To learn about what happened and what comes next. For now though, all that matters is that a dearest friend is back, alive and whole. The past and the future can wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the moment we've been waiting for. The (almost) full reunion for our P3 besties. As always, I appreciate all the comments, kudos, and bookmarks!  
> P.S. - I plan on writing more in spurts, maybe not a full chapter in one sitting. I'll try and post blurbs or headcanon on my tumblr, so if you're curious or wanna see what's floating around in my noggin', that's the place to go!


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